Special Transitional Grant

EDM number 27 in 1994-95, proposed by David Hinchliffe on 16/11/1994.

That this House notes with extreme concern the increasing number of local authorities that, over four months away from the end of the financial year, have exhausted their special transitional grant funding which was introduced to enable them to meet their new community care functions under the National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990; further notes the serious implications for service users and carers that are likely to arise as a result of this problem and also as a direct consequence of SSDs using funding from their base budgets to cover the inadequacies of the grant; recalls when the 1990 Act was implemented local authorities from all parties indicated that the level of grant proposed was grossly insufficient; and also notes that during the debate to approve this year's grant the Labour Party warned of the acute financial difficulties that were likely to face a number of authorities, some of which were identified by the Department of Health itself in Circular LASSL (94)3 as receiving grant increases of less than 15 per cent. for 1994-95; calls upon the Government to address as a matter of urgency the gross inadequacy of the special transitional grant which is resulting in some local authorities being unable to meet their statutory duties and also to take steps to ensure that next year's grant more accurately reflects the acknowledged needs of individual authorities' areas. (Relevant registered interest declared)

This motion has been signed by a total of 68 MPs.